Is this just another rumour???

[Mrowka 494]

For those keeping score at home. Ah boy.

I noticed that Optima Mids are starting to appear on US Ebay for reasonable money. They must be coming from somewhere, right? 

So I contacted AMain to ask whether they had heard anything. They had not and had no idea when they would get stock. So I decided to order a buggy off Ebay, as it was from a reputable highly rated seller and cost only a few dollars more. 

That said, I didn't get an order confirmation notice, so I looked for the seller's website to see if I could get hold of the seller. The seller's website also had the Optima Mid re re in stock, and cheaper than Ebay. So I tried to cancel the Ebay order and ordered direct from the seller. 

Then (here is where things get odd) the seller tells me that the Ebay Optima can be shipped right away but I would have to wait a week for an Optima Mid shipped direct. Why this would be, frankly makes no sense. Normally, I'd wait a week and save a few bucks, but I don't trust Kyosho not to delay things again, so I cancel the direct order and let the Ebay buggy stay. Seller assured me that there is a buggy in stock and ready to ship.

No sooner than I do this than Amain emails me to tell me that they have the Optima Mid in stock and are shipping. (I hadn't canceled because I wanted confirmation that I was getting my buggy from somewhere before I gave up my place in line). So this morning, I could not get an Optima Mid for love or money. Now I have two on the way.

DOES ANYBODY WANT TO BUY A BUGGY? If worst comes to worst, I can send one back.

TL:DR Pigs get fat. Hogs get slaughtered. 

[Mrowka 494]

On 6/13/2022 at 10:47 AM, moffman said:

It actually does that absolutely suprised me when I looked at them both I thought no chance the mid looks to short forgetting the bit on the back! I didn't press it on totally but you can see it clearly fits........every days a learning day

What I want to know is whether the Optima/Turbo Optima/Javelin bodies fit the Optima Mid chassis?

[Saito2 6686]

14 minutes ago, Mrowka said:

Now I have two on the way.

This is precisely the same trap I fell into with the Super Astute.

16 minutes ago, Mrowka said:

DOES ANYBODY WANT TO BUY A BUGGY?

I do, but I want to see how my pre-order with Tower pans out first. I'm trying not to make the same boo-boo twice.

[tamiya3speed 463]

Word from LHS today is that he received mine.  I can’t get there to get them until next week but glad to know they are here finally!

[Sprocket 52]

Finally!

[moffman 5752]

10 hours ago, Mrowka said:

What I want to know is whether the Optima/Turbo Optima/Javelin bodies fit the Optima Mid chassis?

Again although I haven't actually pressed it on securely because I would have had to take the wing off and if I had any doubts I would have but it clearly does fit the mid chassis all the body mounts and cut lines fit perfectly but you probably will have to cut a section out for the wing mount if you want the wing back on with a turbo body

[WillyChang 1814]

13 hours ago, Mrowka said:

whether the Optima/Turbo Optima/Javelin bodies fit the Optima Mid chassis?

yeah the various lexan shells surprisingly intershareable

Javelin cage might need a lot more work hacking on the side bars etc  (you do realize what you’re asking, right? )

[Willy iine 18805]

On 6/4/2022 at 12:16 PM, Superluminal said:

Thats unusual, ive built quite a lot of the Kyosho legendary series kits now (Javelin, Turbo Scorpion, Tomohawk, Ultima, Turbo Optima) and there wasnt a single duff part in them - apart from a thread I stripped by overtightening.

Thats really annoying as theres nothing worse than waiting for parts to arrive when you want to get on

  .. my Javelin.

[Mrowka 494]

4 hours ago, WillyChang said:

yeah the various lexan shells surprisingly intershareable

Javelin cage might need a lot more work hacking on the side bars etc  (you do realize what you’re asking, right? )

Pretty much, yes.

Personally, I have always thought all of the Optima series bodyshells were ugly as sin, while the Javelin looked cool.

This is why I converted my Turbo Optima to a Javelin of sorts.

[moffman 5752]

I wasn't going to do a turbo optima mid body but it was always niggling in the back of my mind every time I looked at the decals and I had this tamiya metallic orange which I got for something not rc related!

[Robert5000 928]

Oh man, that looks amazing @moffman! 
When do you accept orders for custom paintjobs to Norway? 

[moffman 5752]

2 hours ago, Robert5000 said:

Oh man, that looks amazing @moffman! 
When do you accept orders for custom paintjobs to Norway? 

I might have to start looking at options like that after just being sent a under cover(sounds like something out of a spy novel but its true) video of what our UK government want to do to public sector workers pay and conditions from my union going to be quite a bit of turmoil in moffman towers over the next few months me thinks??  Sorry for off topic! but just literally got said video and just decided to calm down and go to the one place that over the last few years always brings me back to planet valium! 

Cheers for the well appreciated comments like I said I wasn't going to do a turbo optima mid body but I thought "why not" the only problem is now when its next to my standard optima it makes it look a bit dull so I'm thinking I need a new body for that buggy because the cut lines are terrible how i thought that was acceptable is beyond me

 

[Robert5000 928]

19 hours ago, moffman said:

I might have to start looking at options like that after just being sent a under cover(sounds like something out of a spy novel but its true) video of what our UK government want to do to public sector workers pay and conditions from my union going to be quite a bit of turmoil in moffman towers over the next few months me thinks??  Sorry for off topic! but just literally got said video and just decided to calm down and go to the one place that over the last few years always brings me back to planet valium! 

Cheers for the well appreciated comments like I said I wasn't going to do a turbo optima mid body but I thought "why not" the only problem is now when its next to my standard optima it makes it look a bit dull so I'm thinking I need a new body for that buggy because the cut lines are terrible how i thought that was acceptable is beyond me

 

That is still one of the best looking Optimas I've seen! I should probably buy another body and sticker set from Kyosho, as my attempt was lacking -even by my standards! 

I'm so sorry to hear about the plans for your pay and work conditions! I'm not going to get political here either, suffice to say the whole Brexit and Boris debacle is something I wouldn't wish upon my worst enemy. 

[Mrowka 494]

Now that I have (at least) one Optima Mid on the way, I am trying figure out how I will paint it.

I don't know what it will end up like, but I do know that it won't be boxart.

[moffman 5752]

1 hour ago, Robert5000 said:

That is still one of the best looking Optimas I've seen! I should probably buy another body and sticker set from Kyosho, as my attempt was lacking -even by my standards! 

I'm so sorry to hear about the plans for your pay and work conditions! I'm not going to get political here either, suffice to say the whole Brexit and Boris debacle is something I wouldn't wish upon my worst enemy. 

Yeah let's not go there with Brexit 

I'm just not happy with my cut lines on the body it's the second Optima I built the first one I built for a work colleague a few years ago he gave me free rain on it and I did it exactly same I was so pleased with it when I did this one (for me) but I was never happy with the finished body I really like the colour but not the finish? (The one below is what I built for a work colleague) he was well chuffed with it! 

[Mrowka 494]

For those keeping score at home, one of my two (count 'em) Optima Mid re res arrived last night.

Haven't opened it, so I don't know if I got an extra wing, etc. or not.

Seems that Amain did ship superfast, probably after the months of delays, complaints, etc..

[Tamiyastef 1966]

1 hour ago, Mrowka said:

Haven't opened it, so I don't know if I got an extra wing, etc. or not.

I assume you do. I don't think Kyosho started production of the second batch already. 

I sure hope they're producing option parts and spares at the moment. 

[Mrowka 494]

10 minutes ago, Tamiyastef said:

I assume you do. I don't think Kyosho started production of the second batch already. 

I sure hope they're producing option parts and spares at the moment. 

I have seen some Kyosho option parts (carbon fiber stuff) - but no Optima Mid buggies - for sale on RCMart.

[Tamiyastef 1966]

1 hour ago, Mrowka said:

I have seen some Kyosho option parts (carbon fiber stuff) - but no Optima Mid buggies - for sale on RCMart.

I want stabilisers, universal drive shafts and spur gears for brushless to be available again 😭

[WillyChang 1814]

Asking any kind soul who possesses the OTW125B Uni shaft set... please please please tell me the width of the little spacer? 

[Ferruz 11702]

Just received the phone call from my LHS guy... 

(sound of the garage door opening, motor revving and tires screeching on the alley....)

[Gaoh X 35]

Charges going through from Tower Hobbies, so, shipping from there soon also (always see the credit card charged first, then ships same day or next at the latest) .

[Mrowka 494]

4 hours ago, WillyChang said:

Asking any kind soul who possesses the OTW125B Uni shaft set... please please please tell me the width of the little spacer? 

About 1mm.

[Ferruz 11702]

...and here it is! Finally!! 

Very glad I got it eventually, I was starting to get a bit worried 

And this was meant to be an all-out happy post, but there was a part of the transaction that I didn't really like: the final price. Sorry about the rant! But here goes the story:

Basically (as he told me) my LHS guy ordered 6 Mids, all accounted for, and was only given 2. Shipping cost was 200 $ regardless of the amount of kits received and, when he called Kyosho USA to ask for explanation apparently he was greeted with these very words: "You are being so ungrateful, you basically never order anything from us, so now what do you expect? Are people always like this in Quebec?" Wow... what can you answer to that?  Anyway, because of this, while me and another lucky guy got to snatch a Mid, all the others -including LHS guy himself since he wants one- are going to have to wait. Or, if you ask me, just do as @razzar did: order from a dependable retailer overseas and call it a day.
And here I get to the point: assuming that what my LHS guy said is right (and I tend to believe it is, he is a friend and I couldn't really see any benefit in lying since I'm also a good client), this absolutely weird distrubution system doesn't make any sense: while others didn't get the Mid at all, I had to pay a lot more for mine because of that shipping. 200 divided 2 is much more than if divided by 6, but my amazement goes well beyond that: in fact I was naive enough to think that no shipping costs would be involved whatsoever, otherwise how can they expect us customers to ever buy locally? I told that to the shop guy, too: I am happy to support my local business when I can (same goes for skateboarding and other niche stuff I'm into), but if this is what it comes down to, it will be the first and last time.
On the other hand, I can't expect him to pay shipping himself and sell me the kit at an actuall loss either... so this is ridiculous 

@razzar, part of me would like to know how much you paid for Mids from Europe with shipping, duties and all... while the other part of me doesn't want to know at all!  Since I'm quite sure I ended up paying more than you, right here at my LHS desk.

Oh well, things that happen. A hundred bucks more or less is not the end of the world, especially when you can afford this kind of items in the first place. My story was mostly to share my experience, and also to show what happens sometimes when you decide to support your local business.  I will still buy from my LHS of course, just not entire kits... especially when they are just another rumour! 

....and now back in my lair, to count how much buckets of drool I can fill before I finally give up and pop those seals off the box... 🤪

[joeling 1649]

Any idea where to buy sway bars ? Cannot seem to find any anywhere